


Edge of the Old Republic

by WriterCookies (LewdCookies)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Anime References, Character Background, Fiction, Galactic Republic, Mild Gore, Military, Military Families, Military Science Fiction, Military fiction, Old Republic Era, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Science Fiction, Women in the Military, game references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:00:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22256845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LewdCookies/pseuds/WriterCookies
Summary: Stories featuring Lieutenant Felyna Ravenlocke, Republic Commando Marksman.Set in the The Old Republic/High Republic era of Star Wars.
Kudos: 1





	1. A Perfect Day for a Jungle Cruise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sergeant Felyna Ravenlocke stumbles upon one of the Republics dark secrets.

Butterflies, when thinking back on the whole thing, of all the things she remembered the most it was the butterflies. Their wings were a shimmering green and blue colour and they looked almost peaceful as they fluttered and drank from the pools of blood on the ground.  
Blood, that was what she remembered next. Large pools of blood surrounding the mutilated bodies of the inhabitants of the small village they had wandered into. After that came a torrent of feelings that settled like a black sludge in the pit of her stomach..

Dxun, a lush jungle moon on the outskirts of the Sith Empire, from up above it looked like any other forested planet. But down on the surface it was a hellhole where predators seemed to grow on trees, sometimes literally, forcing you to carry a weapon on you at all times and never let down your guard. Where rain is so frequent that a day of actual sunshine could be worthy of celebration. And yet, like many other planets, there lived people there.

Delta Squad, a 5-man commando squad part of the Republic Army. Highly trained and motivated, the best of the best of what the Republic Army had to offer. She was the squad’s number three and acting marksman.

Their mission was as simple as it could get, land on Dxun, scout out any major sith facilities present and to establish contacts with any dissenting elements if present. It was a standard commando task. They were two days into a week long operation when they stumbled upon the village.

It had been one of those very rare times where there had been no rain for almost the entire day, only scattered clouds in the sky but clear blue as far as you could see. The village lacked a name, there was nothing on the map about it. They had triple checked their coordinates to be sure that they were in the right place. They had come across it by pure chance, moving between two different zones. The place could have, had it been any other time, be seen as pittoresque or quaint. Nothing more than a clump of houses, a mix of pre-built and locally sourced buildings, surrounded by open ground on all sides. A mix of cleared forest and sown fields. There was a small road that ran from the village into the jungle, no doubt the only means of contact with the rest of the world. In a sense it could be seen as a very cozy place.  
But now something was very wrong about it. It wasn’t until they had surveyed the place for a couple of minutes that they realized what it was.  
The silence.  
There was no noise. While the jungle around them teemed with the sound of animals and insects, the village itself was eerily quiet. It was as if it as small island of silence in an ocean of noise. It was only after a moment’s discussion between each other than the team decided to risk investigating the village.

Death clung to the place like a thick drape. As they moved through what could generally be considered as the village main street they discovered bodies lying everywhere. All of them surrounded by pools of their own blood. The crimson pools glittered in the bright sunlight alongside the sparkling wings of the butterflies that seemed to feast upon them with relish. Despite the fact her armor being temperature controlled Felyna felt that her undershirt was glued to her back and she could feel bile surging up her throat. She swallowed hard to avoid throwing up her breakfast but the feeling lingered in the back of her throat. As they moved walked the street into the village, they realized that bodies were not only present in the street. Many front doors had been wrenched or kicked open, inside the buildings were yet more bodies. Some even showed obvious signs of struggle in them, with things strewn about and furniture toppled. It was not long before they reached the open space that made up the central village square.

The scene that met Felyna’s eyes was horrifying in its own right. Everywhere she looked there seemed to be dead bodies. She heard a muttered curse from one of her teammates at the sight. Meanwhile she was left speechless and once again bile surged in the back of her throat as her stomach churned violently. She wanted to look away but everywhere she looked she saw a dead body. From a balcony the body of a man hung from a noose, draped over a market stall was the body of a woman. As a commando and a veteran of the war she had seen death in many forms.  
But this.  
This was unlike anything she had encountered before.  
All of them had been skinned, the skin on their upper half of their torso had been removed with an almost obscene precision, showing off the raw muscles underneath. In a sick and twisted way, she thought to herself as she surveyed the scene, it looked as if they had taken off their shirts. The bile in her stomach still threatening to rise as her stomach turned into a tempest of discomfort. It was when one of the bodies nearby moved and let out a mewling whimper that her composure finally broke and she tore off her helmet in a hurry before she emptied the contents of her stomach behind a pair of crates. But her stomach refused to relent and she dry heaved a couple of times before it decided to settle down. She collapsed on her knees, feeling a rush of sudden fatigue. A canteen of water was put in her hands and she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

The young woman’s life couldn’t been saved, at least not by them. It was painfully obvious that they simply did not have the medical equipment available to do anything to save her. The only thing they could do was to ease her pain as she slowly slipped away. The terrified look in her brown eyes seemed to bore into Felyna as she held her hand as small comfort. She wondered in the back of her mind if she was the last one alive or if there were anyone else left in the village. As she looked down into the woman’s fearful eyes she could imagine the horrors she had witnessed happening. After what almost seemed like an eternity the woman breathed her last and her hand went limp in Felyna’s grip. As the shock of the whole thing ebbed away Felyna felt a mix of emotions coursing through her system. Ranging from grief and a sense of anger. She felt the anger the most, it was like a small ball of white hot rage in her gut, a feeling that seemed to merge with the sensation of her still burning throat. She tried hard not to look down on her bloodstained hand. It was then everybody heard the buzz over their squad commlink.  
There was somebody else alive in the village.  
And it wasn’t one of the villagers.  
Around her the blue butterflies fluttered into the sky, like blue leaves, as they ran through the village square.

His eyes, the second thing she remembered was his eyes. Those empty yellow eyes that seemed devoid of emotion. In his hand she could see the knife, its blade slick with fresh blood. On the ground beneath him another villager whimpered softly in pain, his upper torso stripped bare of skin. His arms and legs tied together. Then the rush of memory of other details about him. His skin the colour of fresh clay, the crest of horns around his mostly bald head, the tattoos on his face. His uniform, of a Republic military cut but bereft of any markings or insignias.  
But the eyes, those she never forgot. Even years later those soulless pools came back to haunt her in her dreams at night. 

The memories were a blur after that, she remembered the chase through the village as he ran off. Bloodied footsteps, fluttering butterflies. How the jungle seemed to simply swallow him up and make him disappear. She remembered leaving the village behind, the baying calls of hungry scavengers coming from the jungle edge forcing them away. She remembered the anger she felt. That small ball of white hot rage seething in stomach, a feeling that seemed to last for days on end. She remembered the vague sense of discomfort on the faces on the others, signs that what they had seen had also affected them somehow. She barely remembered the rest of their mission past that point. Uneventful, soggy, rainy. But underneath it all there was a sense of paranoia, that he would return in the dead of night to finish them off as well. They spent extra time on watch rotations for the remainder of their mission.  
It wasn’t until much later she learned his name.

His name was Ran Karr. A zabrak who had served in the Republic military for a number of years with distinction before he submitted his resignation and disappeared.  
But not completely.

She had raised questions after they got back from Dxun. They were perhaps not the subtlest questions at times and while she burned at least a couple of bridges and owed some people a few favours she got results.  
But there were times she thought about where she might have ended up if she hadn’t asked so many questions about what happened.

Project Red Dawn.  
It was a top secret Republic military operation with one clear goal in mind. To reduce the will to fight amongst civilian populations on planets loyal to the Sith Empire or planets possibly aligning with the Empire through one simple tool.  
Sheer and outright terror.  
But not through resistance cells and actions such as terrorism and kidnapping but where specially trained operatives would be sent into enemy territory. There they would make friends with the locals for a while before they’d start killing everyone, especially women and children, in ways that were horrific beyond description. Then they would either leave the bodies behind or spread recordings or pictures of their acts in order to horrify the populace. Either to blame the Sith Empire for conducting atrocities on their own population or to scare the population in rethinking their alliances. Red Dawn operatives had, from what she had managed to learn, been instrumental in swaying several planets over to the Republic.  
Ran Karr was one of those operatives.

But unbeknownst to her at that time, her questions had raised red flags amongst some people of importance and certain things were put in motion.

The bronze nameplate on the door to his office had been polished to a mirror sheen and she could see her green eyes staring back at her. On the plate was a name.  
Major Jakob Stagrand.  
Her knuckles rapped on the door twice in quick succession.  
“Come in,” came his muffled reply from the other side.  
She stepped inside his office and snapped off a crisp salute as she stood in front of his desk.  
Jakob Stagrand, her commanding officer, looked up from the datapad he was reading. He was a man in his mid 50’s to 60’s with salt and pepper hair and had, for all she knew, been in the Republic military for the majority of his life. His callsign on the field was Guardian and he was the type of commander who cared for everyone under his command to the best of his abilities. Something which had earned him the respect of many enlisted personnel throughout the years, and quite possibly the enmity of several other people.  
“At ease Sergeant,” he said with his characteristic friendly smile.  
“Take a seat,” he gestured at the plush chair on the other side of the desk. She sat down and felt herself sink down slightly in the cushy seat.  
“You wanted to see me sir?”  
“Correct Sergeant Ravenlocke, however I wish the reasons as to why was better,” She caught the look in Stagrands eyes, a look of slight resignation, and she felt dread creeping up her spine.  
“Sir?” She asked as levelly as possible.  
“I’ve just received orders from high command that you are to be promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant but you are to be honourably discharged from the Republic military following charges of misconduct and improper behaviour.”  
Inside her something snapped and her shoulders slumped. Her actions had finally caught up to her it seemed and now she was paying the price.  
“I see sir,” was the only thing she managed to say.  
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking Sergeant. It’s complete bullshit.”  
She did a slight double take and looked at him with some surprise, hearing him swear like that was rare in a world where swearing was practically second nature amongst enlisted.  
“Your record is practically spotless and you have several combat merits under your belt as well as a couple of medals. So suffice to say those charges are a load of crap.”  
With a disgusted grunt he threw the datapad onto the desk.  
“I wish there was something I could do for you Sergeant but my hands are tied on the matter. I know you’re a fine soldier Ravenlocke and I hate to see you go like this. But it seems like your questions about what happened in that village on Dxun and also about Project Red Dawn made some people in the chain of command very antsy.”  
She probably should’ve questioned how he knew about Red Dawn but chose not to press the issue.  
“Understood sir,” she answered with a slight nod. In truth she had almost expected this to happen. From all she had learned Red Dawn was a very classified operation, the fact that Delta Squad had even stumbled upon that village seemed like a fluke of the Force.  
Stagrand sighed and shook his head.  
“I’m sorry Felyna,” Stagrand said, sounding like a father who had to see one of his children move away. “I wish there was more I could do for you but I can’t. But I wish you the best of luck in your civilian life.”  
He got up from his office chair as she did and they shook hands, his large calloused hand dwarfing hers slightly. He smiled slightly as she stood to attention and delivered him one final salute before with a heavy heart walking out the door to pack her things together.

She mostly drifted at that point, her contact with her old squad members was for a while strong but after a while they drifted apart. Probably out of pressure not to associate with her but she received the occasional message from time to time. But perhaps not as frequent as she would’ve wanted. Her only saving grace was her love to cook and she later found a job at a small family restaurant as a chef and slowly she tried to normalize herself into civilian life again as best as she could.  
At night her mind replayed the events at Dxun alongside the other horrors of war she had seen in her career, usually jolting her awake and drenched with sweat. For a while a good night’s rest was a rare commodity and she drove herself ragged to the point where she could collapse and sleep for a day.  
But slowly and surely life was getting a sense of normality for her again as she lived in her small apartment and worked odd hours in a restaurant kitchen.

There was a knock on the door of her small apartment, and as she door opened her heart sank.  
It was him, she thought bitterly, Of all the people in the Galaxy they sent for her. It had to be him.  
In front of her Major Stagrand snapped off a crisp salute, she resisted the reflex to respond in kind and simply looked at him.  
"Hello Lieutenant Ravenlocke," he said in that friendly tone she remembered him always having when talking to people under his command. Especially when he was delivering bad news. Like the last time she had seen him.  
Felyna said nothing in reply and just nodded at her commanding officer, correction she thought, ex-commanding officer.  
"I take it you know why am I here?"  
She nodded again. Internally she wanted to do nothing but slam the door in his face in order to get away. She had been discharged from the Republic army for asking too many questions. Questions that made people nervous. But at the same time she had grown tired of the war. Tired of the corruption rife within the Republic army and the crimes committed by both sides. War crimes and massacres that no one seemed to get punished for. Nobody except her it felt like. One of her hands balled into a fist as mental images suddenly flashed through her mind. The beating of her heart suddenly sounded like an artillery barrage in her ears as she saw-  
"Lieutenant Ravenlocke? Felyna?" The stable calm that was Stagrand's voice snapped her back to reality, a look of concern on his face. "May I come in?"  
There was a look of hesitation in her face for a moment before her shoulders sagged a little, she nodded once more in reply and stepped aside.

As Stagrand took a seat in the small sofa bed that dominated the her apartment living room she felt a flush of embarrassment at the messy state of her apartment. But if Stagrand was bothered about it he didn’t seem to make a deal of it. She put a cup of coffee down on the table in front of him, the cup an old military service one that she had saved out of sentimentality.  
“Thank you Felyna.”  
She nodded at him in response and without another word she took a seat opposite him in one of the few extra chairs she had. He took a sip of the coffee.  
“If I had known you were this good at making coffee I would’ve had you in my staff a long time ago,” he said with an amused smile.  
“Thank you sir,” she replied softly, still unable to relinquish the fact that she wasn’t in the service anymore. “I’ve had some practice.”  
He took another sip of coffee before putting the cup down on the table again.  
“Now I am pretty sure you are wondering as to why I’m here.”  
Like before she nodded but added afterwards.  
“I have a few ideas as to why sir.”  
“I might as well be frank with you here Felyna, it’s about Project Red Dawn.”  
She tensed up the mention of the the thing forced her out of military service and a million things seemed to surge back up from the dark recesses of her mind. Seeing her sudden discomfort Stagrand continued.  
“It looks like your questions raised red flags everywhere as the operation was shuttered for good some time after you were discharged from the army.”  
She felt relieved to hear that and her relief was apparently obvious enough for Stagrand to notice it based on the look in his eyes.  
“However,” he then continued, the tone of his voice worried her. “As the recall code was sent out several operatives did not respond or show up at their rendezvous points. It would seem as if some of them have become so mentally unhinged that they have either disappeared or gone rogue and are still acting as if nothing has changed. They are still moving about Republic and Sith space and carrying out their terror mission. What is even more troubling, based on reports that we have attained, it seems that some of them are quite possibly doing it out of malicious glee as well. Considering the rather tense political situation between the Republic and the Sith Empire I’m sure you understand the issue here.  
“Yes sir,” she responded with a curt nod. With the ongoing Cold war it wouldn’t take much to reignite the conflict.  
“Before you ask, Ran Karr is one of those rogue operatives. He disappeared after Dxun and his whereabouts are still unknown. We’ve had scattered eye witness reports of him on several planets scattered across the rim but nothing conclusive yet.”  
“But what has this to do with me sir?” She asked.  
Stagrang looked at her for a moment.  
“I’m going to be straight with you here. A group of fellow officers within the Republic military, me included, consider Red Dawn to be a stain upon the Republic military’s honor and would do everything to see our mistakes corrected.”  
He stopped briefly.  
“It pains me to ask you this Felyna,” he said as a matter of factly. “But we want to hunt these rogue agents down.”  
She looked at her former commanding officer with unveiled surprise.  
His commented answered her unanswered question as to why he knew about her investigations.  
“We believe that your skills as well as your earlier encounter with Ran Karr makes you suitable for the job. However it won’t be a solo job, the galaxy is far too big for that. We already have recruited several others who are also working on tracking these agents down. We’ve had some limited success already but there are still several of them out there doing who knows what to innocent civilians out there. I know I’m asking quite a lot from this.”  
“I understand sir,” she replied.  
“This is however not an order and you are free to say no if you like.”  
“No sir,” even before he had finished. “I won’t.”  
“Are you sure about this?”  
“I am,” she replied very firmly. “I want to do this. Sir.”  
She knew that she wanted to do this, it was a chance to right some wrongs and maybe even keep the war from happening for a while longer. Stagrand looked relieved at hearing her say that.  
“I knew we could count on you. Now, your cover for this will be as an independent mercenary. Sad to say it but your background and discharge from them military makes this a perfect backstory.”  
He looked at her for any reaction but all she could do was shrug in response. As much as it pained her she knew he was right about it.  
“You’ll work with them as we try to pin down the location of the rogue operatives. We know that some of them have been seen working in the Outer Rim. We've luckily scoped out a group operating in those parts, lead by a woman that goes by the name of Vilesha Sisk.”


	2. Butterfly Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old memories haunting her dreams.

Chaos seemed to reign supreme in the conference room on board the Ascension as two sith warriors fought against each other. Around them her friends and allies were embroiled in their own fights against others. However for Felyna time seemed to slow to an agonizingly painful crawl as she raised her rifle and took aim at Lord Araghast as he was locked in his duel. Slowly, almost frame by frame, the scene unfolded in front of her as she saw him sidestep her shot and could see the other sith overextend their attack.

Felyna saw the evil smile that formed on Araghast lips as he attacked. And as he drove his sword into the neck of the woman Felyna only knew as Vilesha Sisk’s mother she exploded into a cloud of blue butterflies. Araghast laughed maniacally as they fluttered around him while one side of his face began to suddenly warp and melt.

With Vilesha’s anguished scream still echoing in her head Felyna bolted upright in her bed. Her body was coated in sweat, strands of black hair sticking to her head and shoulders. The back of the green tank top she was wearing plastered to her body. With a frustrated sigh she tore the sweaty garment off her and threw it to the side before she collapsed back on her bed. The army dog tags around her neck, an old memento she had never really gotten rid off, jingled slightly before settling down between her bare breasts. She closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose, trying not to stare at the ceiling. She had been dreaming again.


	3. An odd sense of déjà vu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felyna gets an unexpected visitor.

There was a knock on the door of her small apartment.

“Hang on, I’ll be there in a second!” she called out.

As she opened the door one of her eyebrows raised in obvious surprise and she stopped   
wiping her hands on a rag. In front of her stood the last person she had expected to see anytime soon. Special Agent Welk of Republic Intelligence gave her a curt nod.

“Hi Felyna,” he said casually.

“Welk?” She replied, confusion apparent in her voice. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m pretty sure you know why, don’t you?” The way he said it was almost casual, but the look on his face betrayed how serious it was.

A frown crossed her face and she nodded. Much like last time someone showed up at her door with something to tell her the urge to slam the door and tell him to sod off came to her. But this time around the feeling was incredibly brief.

“I think I have one or two ideas as to why,” she replied as a matter of factly.

In a way she had figured that this day would come sooner or later. That either him, or someone else, would show up on her doorstep once. Telling her that her particular brand of skills were needed yet again. She had expected it to happen at some point. Before long the war got its hooks into you so deep there was no escape she thought. In the back of her mind there was the flutter of blue butterflies and a sith lord with a ruined face, but she pushed those images firmly aside. Her nightmares had to wait. 

She gave Agent Welk a sideways nod with her head and stepped clear of the doorway.

“Come on in. I’ll put on some coffee and we can talk. Sorry about the mess.”


	4. A letter home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sending a message back home.

Felyna looks slightly awkwardly at the camera, she is dressed in an old faded tank top and a pair of pants. What is most noticeable however is that her long hair has been cropped short. When she notices that the camera is recording she gives it a smile. It’s somewhat weary but still manages to be warm. There is a slight hesitation visible on her face, as if she’s been trying to do this for a while.  
“Hi Mom, Dad.” she says with an almost awkward wave of her hand, “I’m sorry I haven’t heard back to you in a while.”  
“I’ve been,” she looks to the side embarrassed. A slight flush on her cheeks. “Kind of busy with things. I’m sure you’ve heard about at least a couple of them through the grapevine. As you always do.”  
The smile returns to her face, this time it’s a lot more amused and her eyes seemed to sparkle slightly as well as if she’s laughing silently at the joke.  
“I was happy to hear that both of you managed to get off Coruscant safely.” she says with obvious relief, “In case you didn’t know, I was on Corellia when the invasion happened.”  
She stops and looks to the side.  
“More or less.” she sighs. “To be honest I wanted to stay and fight but I had to leave for elsewhere.”  
She stops talking again for a moment, sighing again in frustration at not knowing really what to say, before she continues on anyway.  
“I wish there was more I could say about all this but…” she falters again and frowns. She obviously looks frustrated. “I can’t. The whole is a bit too sensitive. I’m sure you can understand. It’s been a busy couple of months for me.”  
Her shoulders sag slightly and she is about to reach for something off screen before she stops herself.  
“Anyway, I’m fine. As you might see.” There is a ghost of a smile on her face but the emotion isn’t exactly mirrored in her eyes. “Decided to cut my hair as you might have noticed.”  
She makes a gesture towards her new shorter hairstyle, a more honest smile on her lips now.  
“Wanted to do something new for a while. Still not completely used to it. The rest of the squad seemed to think it looked good on me.”  
She laughs softly.  
“Don’t worry though, I won’t suddenly show up on your doorstep looking like a punk reject or anything.” she says with an honest smile. “I’ve already had my rebellious phase.”  
“I wish I could come and see you, and I promise I will before long, but right now I’m kind of zipping across the galaxy trying to fix a lot of problems. Trying to help as best as I can.”  
She wavers slightly again, eyes looking downwards. There is a brief look of almost helplessness visible in them before it disappears with a blink.  
“But at the same time I’m not sure what I can do to help. It feels like I’ve gone from one war to the next and-”  
She catches herself and stops talking, there is a moment of quiet as she collects herself.  
“I’m sorry. I’m just a bit tired. It’s been a couple of arduous days around the front.”  
She tries picking herself up again and smiles at the camera. But at the same time her fatigue is visible in her eyes.  
“I wish I was back with you but duty calls I guess. I hope you’re both well and I hope to see you soon. Send my regards to both Crix and Cira if you see them. Oh and tell him that I’m really sorry. I’m sure he’ll get it sooner or later. Love you all, bye.”  
Felyna reaches forward and the camera cuts out.


	5. Sith don't surf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mission somewhere.

The wind blowing through the open cargo doors howled in her ears and whipped at her dark hair. The assault shuttle flying low enough over the water that the downwash from its turbines made the surface ripple. Up ahead she saw offshore production facilities and landing bays, black smoke rising to the sky from some of them. The sky around her was filled with shuttles, all of them heading straight for the city that almost appeared to loom menacingly up ahead. All of them fully laden with troops as the one she was in, tension was thick enough to slice open with her combat knife as the shuttle rattled and vibrated as it flew. Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder and she looked up, someone - Sergeant Haali she could see from the markings on his armor - tapped on his helmet. It was an obvious non-verbal sign it was time to get ready. She nodded and slid her own combat helmet back on, cutting out the sounds of the shuttle engines and the wind. Instead her ears were filled with the chatter from the combat net.  
“Shoreline coming in to view.”  
“Copy Striker Six-Four.”  
“Feet dry in ten seconds.”  
Her fingers drummed against the body of her marksman rifle resting in her lap. Sabre killer, her own heavily customized rifle was far too large and heavy for urban ops. So she had to go with something more standard issue this time around.  
“Copy,” the comms squawked again.  
The moment the shuttles flew in over dry land all hell seemed to break loose, as blaster shots and rockets were sent skywards. Shots pinging off the hull of the shuttle.  
“Taking fire here,” someone remarked over the net with a certain dryness.  
“Roger that,” came the reply from another pilot, “We’ve got RPGs down here.”  
Shots laced out from adjacent shuttles as gunners opened up with mounted repeated blasters whenever they saw something moving beneath them. The shuttles continued unabated, smoothly following the terrain and rising and lowering as it permitted. They flew past a street and she for a moment saw a speeder with a large gun mounted on the back shooting into the sky. The muffled explosion she heard a moment later told her that one of the many roving gunships had taken it out. Up ahead a shuttle jinked to the side as a rocked soared past it.  
“Shit that was close” she heard someone say over the radio. She assumed it was the same shuttle pilot.  
The fire from the ground continued unabated. Rockets contrails shooting past them as they flew over buildings with rooftops seeming bristling with people with guns.  
“Got a visual on the target,” another pilot called out over the net.  
As if in response the shuttle lurched backwards as the pilot slowed down, a maneuver that seemed like suicide in this situation as a lucky rocket could might as well pluck them out of the sky. The shuttle banked as it slowed down to hover over a run down street, other shuttles following suit over their own targets. Gunners on both sides pouring out suppressing fire to dissuade enemy fire. Some of the passengers leaning out to pour down fire on the street below.  
“Five seconds.”  
Her grip around her rifle tightened, and she looked over to the trooper next to her that had a large coil of rope between their legs. She wasn’t exactly sure who it was, their unit working in tandem with someone else for this op.  
“Standby for greenlight,” came over the net.  
The shuttle hung in the air for a moment, already ropes were beginning to unfurl from the sides of other shuttles.  
“Down the ropes! Go! Go!” she heard someone call out over the squad net.  
The trooper next to her threw the coil off the side and before it had a chance to uncoil properly they had grabbed hold of it and beginning to descend. The moment they had disappeared out of view she grabbed hold of it, wrapping her legs around it for support and began to slide down. The moment her boots hit the ground her weapon was up and she moved off to the side. The other troopers having already set up overwatch down the street.


	6. ETA 2 minutes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day, another mission.

The gunship banked hard and if it wasn’t for the straps she would’ve slid off her seat. Through a narrow slit in the armored hull she could see the cliffside zoom dangerously close by. Except they weren’t natural ones but man-made. Specks of dim lumens covering the sides as they soared up into the sky. She didn’t even need to look outside to know they were dropping in altitude, she felt it in her stomach the moment the rapid descent began. Out the slit she saw other skimmers and craft whizz by as they plunged into lanes of traffic. The pilot drove the ship hard, barely paying much attention to the other vehicles as they hurried out of the way of the transport. She could only imagine the drivers that had to swerve away were now honking madly at them as they passed. She didn’t hear any of that of course. Even if she hadn’t been wearing her helmet the noise of the engines inside the closed hold would’ve drowned out the sound. It wasn’t long before the gunship reached full speed and was flying through the canyons between the tall tower spires.

The further they went, the weaker the sunlight became. She briefly caught glimpses of vast archways passing overhead, light ports twinkling like small stars against the blankness. But she also saw giant chasms below them as they flew over them. Giant maws into the dark bowels of the planet that seemed to swallow all the light nearby. There mustn’t be any ground level anymore here, she thought to herself, just foundations stacked on top of each other like pancakes. All of them spiralling down into the world’s core.

“Approaching the LZ, ETA 1 minute,” announced Haali, the slight drawl to his voice pronouncing it Eel-Zee. He pulled his blaster from its holster and checked the power pack.

The announcement seemed to coincide with the boom of the gunship’s engines lessening as it slowed down and gently banked towards the drop-point. This set off a flurry of activity amongst its occupants – her included – as they calmly retrieved their blaster rifles from the mag locks on the wall next to them, adjusted their helmets and made final equipment checks.

“You know the plan,” Haali told them calmly. “We go in fast, take out whatever sentries they have and grab as much intel we can find before dropping charges and pulling out.”  
The only response from all of them was a series of silent nods. 

“Ten seconds,” intoned Haali shortly afterwards.

The gunship was dropping vertically now, its exterior lights doused as it descended into a giant well shaft into nothingness. The lamps mounted on their helmets flickered into lift, bathing the dull red light of the cabin with sharp white light. The sharp difference washing out in the helmet visual filters into something more manageable. Underneath the low drone of the engine she could hear out shouts of alarm, something crashing nearby and small arms fire pinging off the hull.

The the gunships hull doors slammed open, and they spilled out from the cabin, leaping down from the hovering gunship and into ankle-deep water. She was suddenly glad at her battle armor because it could not have been sanitary to be in. It was nearly pitch-black, the helmets visual filters snapping into action and turning the world a light blue. Massive rockcrete columns rose up on all sides of them, each one seemingly as big as a destroyer, dented and pitted with age. She saw crowds scattering, of course there were people living down here, splashing and swarming like rats into whatever crevice that could protect them.

Ahead of the landing zone was a gaping circular outlet, roughly ten meters in diameter and rimmed with a coat of ancient rust. The bars that once prevented anyone from entering had been broken away, or they had simply rotted away in this fetid environment. Now the entrance gaped blackley, taller than a wookie and ringed with toothy oxidised stumps. Simply yet another gaping maw she thought as she rushed forward. Above that rose a riveted wall of blackened durasteel, grime clinging to it like a festering mold. Or it was mold for all she knew.

They sprinted towards the outlet, deftly leaping over the lower lip of the maw and into the thick darkness beyond. She was the last one, even if she wasn’t carrying her usual rifle she still took up the rear to cover the others. They disappeared briefly in the darkness until she caught up. The cold hiss of blaster fire echoed from up ahead, the sound slightly distorted by the curvature of the tunnel. It told her they had finally run into contact with whatever perimeter guards the hidden camp had. She pushed on and reached a domed chamber twenty meters high. Cascades of water ran from cracks in the roof. Rows of pump stations, all inactive, were sunk into the oozing mire, their valves and filters clogged with filth. More chambers stretched off ahead, linked by arched roofs, all of them seemingly clustered with more defunct machinery and tangles of corroded pipework.

The other in their team were doing their work without her having to assist. Already the water underfoot had turned a murky red and she could see bodies floating face down in it. Haali had pushed on ahead, taking him, Sunrider and Tyrion into the chambers beyond. Which left Corsh and her to skirt the dome’s edge, scanning for any other residual threats. 

She could see a hundred ambush points in the claustrophobic dark as she pushed on, but no one seemed to want to creep on her. Then an explosion went off – a crack, muffled by distance and thrown-up water – followed by screams. Then more blaster fire snapped out, echoing and overlaid on itself, then nothing.

“All clear,” Haali called over the radio and she pulled back. Eyes still scanning any nook for possible ambushers. The Sith knew they were here and it wouldn’t be long until they rallied for a counter push.


	7. A new generation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of something new.

“Fel, What are you doing?”

The tone to Rafe’s voice was questioningly, but tinged with a hint of worry.

“Ah sithspit,” Felyna swore under her breath. before putting the rifle back down and turning to face her husband. Which was easier said than done considering he towered her by over half a meter. There wasn’t any point in beating around the bush she realized.

“There was a call,” she began slowly. “It was from Merros. He’s…”

She faltered for a moment. Knowing he wouldn’t like what was coming next. She could see it in his eyes. But she continued on regardless.

“He’s in some kind of trouble.”

Rafe’s shoulders appeared to slump as he gave her a look that spoke volumes. By now he knew most of what had transpired before and after they met. Even if there were things she could never tell him. Like that village on Dxun that ultimately brought her down this path. Or what happened on the bridge of the Ascension. Both of those still haunted her dreams. She wondered if Vilesha had ever forgiven her for what had happened. 

“And now you’re going to go out there and rescue him?”

She nodded.

“Where?”

“I-I don’t know, the message was fragmented but he mentioned something about a ship waiting for us in the Rishi system.”

“Us?”

“The others and I. They must’ve gotten the same message.”

“You think they’re going to show up?”

Felyna’s reply died in her throat as doubt came to the surface. Would the others actually show up? She hadn’t spoken to either Vilesha or Aara in some time now. After the tumultuous changes with the republic, not to mention the Sith Empire, they had all drifted apart from each other. She shook her head. No, they would show up. They might be very different people but even then they would honor his call. They all owed him as much.

“They would. I know it,” her voice was firm. Even then there was a gnawing feeling in the back of her mind. 

“Felyna, that was years ago. You’re not exactly the spry master sharpshooter you were back then.”

“Please Rafe,” she cut him off. Knowing what he’d say. “I have to do this. I owe him as much. I can’t just leave an old friend hanging out to dry. It’s a matter of honor.”

She stopped, feeling anger flaring inside of her. Not to mention the look on his face. It dawned upon her that she was about to have a fight with her husband of several years over this. The sensation made her heart ache. She felt his strong arms wrap around her as he pulled her close to him. The worst part was that she knew he was right. She was getting old. While her shooting was as sharp as ever and she still kept up a healthy training regime she wasn’t exactly as fit and limber as she was back then. By now her black hair was getting its first streaks of silver. As if to emphasise the point she felt pain beginning to flare up in her right shoulder. Reminding her of the price she paid when her luck had finally run out. But at the same time she knew she had to do something to help her old friend.

“I’ll go,” the sound of another voice disrupted her thoughts. She turned to see her son Tieron standing in the doorway. Judging by the fact he was wearing a dirty jumpsuit it meant he had just come back home from the space port. How much had he overheard, she thought worriedly. Most of it she assumed.

“I’ll go, in your place,” he said firmly. 

The words were like a dagger through her heart and she untangled herself from her husband. A mix of emotions welled up inside of her. Confusion, anger, fear and more. The surprise was apparent on Rafe’s face as well. True to herself she was faster with a reply.

“Absolutely out of the question!” The words came out far hotter than she might’ve wanted them to.

“Mom, please,” he spoke softly. “Dad’s right, you are getting too old for these things. I mean I know your friend is important to you, but we’d all hate to lose you. Especially Zee.”

She should’ve felt angry for him pulling out such a cheap trick as using his own sister to pluck at her heartstrings. But it was true. Her daughter had always looked up to her, and had always been the most attentive listener to her old war stories whenever she told them. 

“I mean I know my way around machines and ships. Not to mention I know how to use a blaster, both of you have made sure of that.” 

The proud smile on his face as he said this gave her another heartache. She leaned against her husband, looking up at him for support. The uncertainty was obvious on his face. Silence lingered for a few moments as the couple simply looked at each other before he just nodded. 

“It’s for the best Fel,” he said. “Both you and I know it. Besides, about time he saw the world for a while.”

She sighed in obvious resignation. The cards were definitely stacked against her with this.

“Okay, I guess it’s settled then.”

“Really?” Tieron’s eyes opened wide in surprise. Clearly expecting to have to fight for it a bit more. 

“Yes,” she replied with a nod of her head. 

Before she knew he had pulled her into a tight hug. She had forgotten how strong he was. Something he’d obviously gotten from his father.

“Thanks mom!” 

“Go get cleaned up and then go to bed Tieron,” she said after he had put her down again. If she didn’t know any better she’d say he’d managed to work out a kink in her back with that hug. “We’ll talk more about this tomorrow.”

As he disappeared off to the showers she glanced up at her husband.

“Are we sure about this?” 

He smiled back down at her.

“He’s a Ravenlocke after all and if his mother is anything to go by he’ll be fine.”


End file.
